Blood Relations
by MeredithGlass
Summary: Phoebe Vance is torn between two sides. Will she follow live the high society life of her mother or will she follow in the footsteps or her father? Bad review, better story. R&R!
1. New Beginnings

"Now boarding Flight 127 for London."

Phoebe Vance made her way through the thick crowd towards the gate. She still couldn't believe she had come this far. Two days ago she had been sitting in her room at her aunt and uncle's house, still mourning the deaths of her parents. Now, she was standing in line holding her ticket out of Hell. She had always known she was adopted, after all how could she not? Phoebe had never looked or acted like her parents. Only after a painful sorting of their belongings had she learned she was actually from England.

That discovery had led her to buy a plane ticket off the internet with her emergency credit card her parents had given her. Once her aunt and uncle discover that she has run off, they are going to be furious. By then, she will be long gone. She had come up with a plan on her way to the airport. Anything she suspected she would need, she would buy beforehand and take with her. After arriving in London, she was going to cut up her credit card and find her parents. How she was going to find them, she had no clue. All she knew for sure was that she was going to find them. Phoebe loved her family to death, and she never ceased to be grateful that they took her in. She could only hope that they will one day forgive her.

"Ticket please." Phoebe handed her ticket to the receptionist, who smiled in return. "Enjoy your flight." Phoebe nodded to her and boarded the plane.

Phoebe looked out the window as the plane took off. As she watched the ground below her get smaller, she knew that she wasn't coming back.

* * *

Three Months Later...

"I think this one is a bust, Percy."

"Yes, I think you're right, Katie." Percy Weasley and Katie Bell were doing a routine check to check for any young wizards in orphanages who may have been over looked. It was one of those odd jobs in the Ministry that only came up the summer before the new year at Hogwarts started. They would walk into an orphanage with a charmed compass. From there, the compass would point them in the direction of a magical child. MAny times, if a witch and wizard didn't want their child or if they wanted to hide them they would place a spell over them to hide their powers until a certain age and would then put them in a Muggle orphanage. Usually, they came up empty handed, but other times they stumble across a child eager to leave the wretched place.

"What is the next stop?" Katie asked Percy. Percy, however, hadn't heard her. Something-or someone, that is- had caught his eye behind her. "Percy? Hello? Are you still with me?" She asked him, waving a hand in front of his face.

"We've got one!"

"What? Where?" She began looking around. Percy grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around. She found herself looking at a girl with long, blonde hair sitting alone in a corner. She looked to be about 15 or 16. The two made their way over to her.

"Hello, what is your name?" Katie asked, smiling down at the girl.

"Phoebe Vance," the girl replied, with a questioning look on her face. "Why?"

"It is very nice to meet you, Phoebe." Percy held out his hand. Phoebe narrowed her eyes, and shook his hand. Right then, an old woman came over.

"May I help you?" She asked. Her eyes kept flickering from Katie and Percy to Phoebe.

"Yes, actually." Percy put his arm around Katie. "We are looking to adopt."

"You two look awfully young to be adopting. How old are you?"

"Old enough," Percy replied curtly. The old woman looked taken aback for a moment, then regained her composure.

"Any particular age?" the woman asked.

"We would like to adopt Phoebe here," Katie said sweetly, smiling down at Phoebe. Phoebe's eyes widen, and she looked at them strangely. The old women looked shocked as well. Phoebe started smiling.

"Wouldn't you prefer a child a little younger…most couples usually adore the younger children. The younger they are, the more easy they are to take care of an-"

"We would like Phoebe," Percy said, cutting her off. The lady narrowed her eyes at the two people standing in front of her. Phoebe, whose happiness had fallen once the old woman began talking, looked up hopefully, although she was trying to mask it.

"Follow me to my office, and we'll talk. You!" she said, turning towards Phoebe. "Go to your room. I'll send for you _if_ this goes through."

Her office was small and cluttered. There were pictures and paper work everywhere. _It smells of salami in here!_ Percy told Katie through Legilimacy. Katie put her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. The woman sat down in the seat behind her desk, and motioned for them to sit down also.

"My name is Adele Crambook. I am the owner of this establishment. I've been doing this for a long time, and have a good eye on which child will mesh well with which family. Usually the families search for a child between the ages of two and nine. Every couple weeks or so there is a couple that would like a baby. It is very rare for a couple to come in and request a teenager. In fact, I cannot recall the last time that happened and trust me, I have a very good memory. Tell me, what is your reasoning for doing so?" Ms. Crambook asked.

"Well, Ms. Crambook, we would like a child, but a younger child would simply be too much work for us. We both have full time jobs," Katie replied.

"I see…and how am I to know that you will be proper parents to Miss Vance, what with your 'full time jobs'?"

"We have a rather large family, so there will also be someone there for her. A proper education would be provided for her, and we would take very good care of her," Percy said.

"Well," Ms. Crambook sighed, "this is very uncommon…"

"Is there any reason we cannot adopt her?" Percy asked.

"Well…no…"

"Then let's see the papers," he said evenly. Crambook sighed again, and took a file out of her drawer. Katie and Percy signed the papers and Ms. Crambook looked them over.

"Lucille!" Crambook yelled. A small girl who looked about the age of ten came running in.

"Yes, Ms. Crambook?"

"Go tell Phoebe to gather her items."

"Yes, Ms. Crambook." And with that, the little girl raced out of the room.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, I hope you know what you're getting yourselves into."

"Please," Katie said, grinning, "call us Lydia and Michael."

* * *

"Why me?" Katie and Percy looked at each other. It was the first time the girl had spoken since they left the orphanage. Percy nodded, and Katie looked back at Phoebe.

"Have strange things ever happened to you, Phoebe?" she asked.

"Strange…how?"

"Have things ever blown up when you were mad? Or has an animal ever talked to you? Has something that you were thinking about, like a cookie or candy or something of the sort, appeared within moments of you thinking of it?" Katie clarified.

"No, are you crazy?" Phoebe look back and forth between them.

"Not crazy," Percy replied. "just wizards. And so are you." Phoebe burst out laughing. Katie and Percy looked at each other, astonished, and then back at Phoebe.

"What is so funny?" Katie asked, a confused look on her face.

"You are!" Phoebe managed to say in between laughs.

"How are we funny?" Percy asked, slightly offended.

"You two are obviously crazy! I mean, is this a joke? You honestly expect me to believe that you are wizards, and that I am one too? Ha! That is the best joke I've heard in awhile!"

"It is true!" Katie exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," Phoebe challenged. Percy rolled his eyes.

"You know, most of the kids we find are thrilled to find out this," he said.

"Well I'm not most kids. So prove it or I'm out of here." She crossed her arms.

"You know, technically you can't leave because we adopted you," Percy pointed out.

"Legally? With your actually names, you are my legal guardians?" she asked.

"Well..." Percy didn't look quite as sure now.

"Exactly. So prove it." Katie pulled her wand out of her coat.

"_Accio_ bag!" Phoebe's bag went flying from its place on the floor and into Katie's hands. Phoebe's mouth dropped. She was dumbfounded. Her head swung back and forth between where her bag used to be and where it was now. Percy smirked at her utter shock.

"I can do that?" Phoebe asked.

"Not yet, but you will." Katie smiled.

"Once we reach The Leaky Cauldron, we will apparate back to the Ministry where you will be placed into the custody of them. You will be attending Hogwarts this year. How old are you?" Percy asked.

"Uh…sixteen…what is a Hogwarts?" Phoebe asked.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For more information, I recommend reading _Hogwarts, A History_," Katie replied.

"Considering that usually you would be entering either your last year of schooling or your second-to-last year, you will probably be put through intensive tutoring for the remainder of summer break and then join in your respective year," Percy continued. "Also, she will have to be sorted," he added to Katie.

"One condition."

"What?" Katie and Percy said at the same time.

"I'll go to the school and all that crap on one condition," she said. Katie had an amused look on her face while Percy looked flat out annoyed.

"Well, on with it, what's your condition?" he asked.

"Help me find my parents." They both looked at her questioningly. "The reason that I am here in London is because I want to find my birth parents. I'll go to that little magical school of yours if you promise to help me find them." They looked at each other.

_Are we allowed to do this?_ Katie asked using Legilimacy.

_I've no clue, but we are going to have to at least try if we want her to cooperate, now don't we? _Percy replied. Katie sighed.

"Sure, kid."

"Really?" she asked, not sure whether to believe them.

"Yes, really," Katie said. A smile slowly crossed Phoebe's face. She beamed up at them, and even Percy had to smile. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, though. He had seen that smile somewhere before, but her could not place it. _Her smile almost looks like Ginny's…_ he thought. He immediately shook off the thought. _Impossible!_ Soon, they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Now, Phoebe, grab on to Katie's arm and _don't let go_," Percy told her.

"Why?" Phoebe questioned.

"We're going to apparate to the Ministry."

* * *

"So how does this work?"

"How does what work?" Percy asked.

"How are you going to help me find my parents?" Phoebe asked, looking up at him with her strikingly blue eyes filled with curiosity. "There was a girl at the orphanage who said she tried to find her birth parents once. They took a strand of her hair and processed it and whatnot and searched through a DNA database to see if she matched anyone. She found out who her parents were in the end."

"Is that where she is now?" asked Minister Brackenridge. "With her parents, that is?"

"Her parents are dead. That's why she was in the orphanage. That's why she is still in the orphanage," Phoebe replied coldly. That immediately silenced Brackenridge. For some reason, she had taken an immediate dislike towards the Minister straight from the beginning.

"We are going to do it much like the Muggle way that you speak of," Percy answered her. "You see, the Ministry has blood samples of every registered witch and wizard in London. We are going to take a sample of your blood and compare it to all of the samples. That will tell us who your parents are."

"And then what?" she asked.

"What do you mean? I thought we already explained it too you."

"Well, will I go live with my parents." No one answered her. She looked around at the three people seated with her.

"When we find out who your parents are they will be contacted. If they want you, then you will go live with them."

"And if they don't want me?" she asked. Both Katie and Brackenridge averted their eyes to the ground. Only Percy kept his gaze steady and unwavering.

"Then you'll stay here." he replied, not unkindly. Phoebe nodded. She sat back and appeared to be considering the options that had been given.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Brackenridge.

"Just tell me when," she replied, staring evenly at the Minister. Anyone could see that she frightened him quite a bit, what with her being so confident and straightforward. Katie and Percy looked at each other proudly. She was definitely going to be a Gryffindor.

"Hold on to my arm and don't let go," Katie ordered Phoebe.

"Why?"

"We are going to apparate again, this time to St. Mungo's." Phoebe's face had paled at the word apparate.

"Again?" she asked nervously. "Isn't there another way? I really don't feel like puking again, if you don't mind."

"Don't worry! Most people only puke the first time," Percy assured her. She smiled weakly and grabbed Katie's arm. Within seconds, they appeared at St. Mungo's.

"SOMEONE GET A TRASHCAN!" Katie yelled.

"Damn," said Percy. "I really thought that would work."


	2. The Results

"Are they done yet?" Phoebe asked. She was sitting in the waiting room with Katie, Percy, and Brackenridge. They were waiting for the DNA results at St. Mungo's. They had entered Phoebe's DNA in the database the day before, and they were almost done.

"It takes some time, Phoebe. They'll be out as soon as they're complete," Percy told her for what felt like the millionth time.

"Can't they use magic to speed it up?" she asked impatiently.

"There are hundreds of other samples they have to compare." He was start to get annoyed with her. He understood that she wanted to know who her parents were, but couldn't she just be quiet for one minute?

"Phoebe Vance?" The receptionist called. Percy looked up from his copy of _The Daily Prophet_. He stood up and looked over at a seemingly petrified Phoebe, who was still sitting down.

"Come on, Phoebe. It's time," Katie said gently. Phoebe stood up and followed them back to a room where one of the nurses was sitting. She motioned for Phoebe to sit down.

"Hello, Phoebe. How are you today?" she asked sweetly. Phoebe smiled at her weakly. She had no clue why she was so nervous all of the sudden. "Here are the results to your test." the nurse smiled at Phoebe, and handed the results to Phoebe. "Your parents are being contacted as we speak. They will owl us with their replies as soon as possible." Phoebe sat there, staring at the closed folder she held in her hands.

"Well, open it already!" Katie said excitedly. Phoebe's hands were shaking with excitement as she opened the folder and began reading. Katie looked at Percy, obviously anxious to see who her parents were. Percy was equally as interested in the results, but he was better at masking his curiosity.

"Well? Out with it!" Minister Brackenridge exclaimed.

* * *

"Mistress?" Narcissa Malfoy looked up to see Minnie, her personal house elf, standing in the door way. "May Minnie enter?"

"Yes Minnie."

"Minnie has a letter for Mistress. It was just owled in," the elf said, handing the letter to her master.

"Who is it from?" Narcissa asked, looking up from the book she was reading.

"It's from St. Mungo's, Mistress."

"Thank you, Minnie. Wait here for a reply."

"Yes, Mistress," Minnie replied, bowing. Narcissa opened the letter and began reading it.

"Minnie!" Narcissa yelled.

"Yes, Mistress?" Minnie asked.

"There is no time for a reply. Tell Lucius I'm going to St. Mungo's. I'll be back later." And with that, she apparated out of the room.

* * *

"ARTHUR!" Molly Weasley yelled. Arthur Weasley came running in. He had been outside working on a new Muggle contraption. It was something called a "computer".

"Where is the fire?" he yelled, carrying a bucket of water.

"Arthur Weasley put that bucket down right this instant! You have an owl!"

"Oh…right, yes, of course! Well come now, where is it?" Molly pointed towards the window where a brown-spotted owl was perched. He took the letter from the owl and sat down at the table.

"Oh my Merlin!" he yelled, knocking his chair over as he stood up. "Come on, Molly, we have to go to St. Mungo's"

"What's the matter?" Molly asked.

"I'll explain when we get there."

* * *

"Phoebe? Who is it?" Katie asked. Phoebe opened her mouth to answer, but just then Narcissa Malfoy charger through the door, followed by Arthur and Molly Weasley.

"Mother? Father? What are you doing here?" asked a confused Percy.

"Is that her?" asked Narcissa, pointing at Phoebe.

"Who are you?" Phoebe asked her.

"My name is Narcissa Malfoy! Who in Merlin's name are you?" Instead of answering her question, Phoebe turned towards Arthur.

"Then you must be Arthur," she said.

"Yes, I am! Is that her?" he asked the nurse. The nurse nodded, smiling at the three adults.

"This is impossible! My baby died!" Narcissa exclaimed. She was obviously angry.

"We believe there was a mix-up in the hospital, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Well, what is he doing here?" Narcissa asked, pointing towards Arthur.

"That would be the girl's father." The room was completely silent. Phoebe was the only one smiling in the room. She didn't really _look _sixteen right then. She looked more like she was six.

"What?" Percy exclaimed, obviously shocked.

"That is impossible," Narcissa stated.

"Not really. Mrs. Malfoy, isn't it true that your husband cannot father anymore children?" the nurse asked.

"Yes, it's true. But I don't understand how _he_," she pointed back at Arthur "could possibly be the father."

"If you wanted to have another child, you would have had to get a donor. That is where he comes in. This is your daughter, Phoebe." Narcissa finally turned her eyes on the blonde girl sitting in front of her. She simply stared at her, not smiling, but not frowning. Just staring. Narcissa sighed.

"So can we go home now?" she asked. Phoebe's face lit up even more.

"Now wait a minute, what about us?" Arthur asked, finally speaking up.

"What about you?" Narcissa asked angrily.

"She is my daughter too!"

"She wasn't meant for you!"

"It doesn't matter who she was 'meant' for! We want to be a part of her life." They kept arguing back and forth. The nurse and Minister sat there watching helplessly. Katie had slipped out of the room. Percy stood there, watching as Phoebe's smile melted off her face. This was obviously not what she thought she would find. Now the blonde girl was frowning. It didn't even look like she was paying attention any longer. She was staring absently into the unknown.

The fighting went on for another half hour. Narcissa was yelling about how the Weasleys had no right to the girl, and then Arthur and Molly would yell back about how she is their blood too. The nurse had given up a long time ago and left to make her rounds. Brackenridge had summoned up a copy of _The Daily Prophet_. Percy sat in a chair and looked absolutely bored. Now, a new argument had been taken up, however.

"She is a Malfoy!" Narcissa screeched.

"She is a Weasley!" Arthur and Molly yelled back. Phoebe had finally had enough.

"Stop it!" she yelled. Everyone turned and looked at her. Even Percy gained back interest in the whole ordeal. "Wow, I can't believe that worked!" she said, mostly to herself.

"I am not a Weasley." she said. Narcissa smirked triumphantly. "I'm not a Malfoy either." she added. "I don't really know _who_ I am now. 24 hours ago, I was trying to figure out how to get out of London and back to America. I was just a regular kid and now it's like, what? I'm a witch? Oh, right! Because magic _does _exist! And then it's all like 'who travels be car anymore when you can just poof places and then puke afterwards!' My point is, this should be a _happy_ day for me! I finally know who my real parents are! Who wouldn't be happy? But all of you are making it so damn _hard_ to be happy! This actually is probably the second worst day of my life! Can you all just stop acting like _children _and settle this out in a decent manner?" She took a breath and looked at the three guilty-looking adults in front of her.

"Here's the deal," she continued, "I traveled here from America on a plane even through I am terrified of flying so that I could meet by parents. That is a plural word. Why can't I live with both of you? What is the harm of knowing _both _of my parents?" This had silenced the three quarreling people. Percy was impressed that Phoebe had the guts to call out her superiors like that. Brackenridge still felt awkward.

"Well?" Phoebe asked, her arms crossed. She looked back and forth between her new mother and her father. "Good." She sat back down. "Now what?" Everyone turned and looked at the minister.

"What? Oh! Right…er…let's flip a coin!" he exclaimed. "Mrs. Malfoy, call it in the air. If you are right, you get Phoebe for a week. Then she goes to the Weasleys for a week and vice versa so on and so forth. Got it?" He threw the coin up in the air.

"Heads." The coin landed on the desk.

"Hmm…yes I would have to say that is tails. Phoebe goes with Arthur and Molly. On Saturday, she will floo to the Malfoys. Now that that is settled, we need to discuss her education. I assume she will be attended Hogwarts come this fall, correct? Good. So, what are we to do about the years she has missed? We could put her as a first year, but considering she will be coming of age next year, I'm not so sure that would be the best option."

"Isn't there some form of tutoring she can take for the rest of the summer?" Arthur asked.

"Well, yes but learning five years worth of magic in one month? That would be asking too much of her, don't you agree?" Brackenridge began shuffling through some papers.

"Then she can keep being tutored during the year," Narcissa said tersely.

"Very good then. Now about who her tutor will be, I think it should be a fellow Hogwarts student, that would make it easier during the school year. There are a few good choices that I could contact-"

"Hermione Granger could do it!" Molly cut in.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Narcissa. "Draco will gladly tutor her. He is one of the best in his year."

"Yes, surpassed only by Hermione!"

"Ladies! Calm down. If I understand correctly, they are the top two students of their year. I assume, from what I've heard, you two would not appreciate Mr. Malfoy in your home, and you, Mrs. Malfoy would not appreciate Miss Granger in your home. So it's settled." The Minister began putting his papers back into his brief case.

"Wait, what? That's it? I'm totally lost now," Phoebe said.

"You're coming home with us, Phoebe," Molly said, smiling. "Now where is your stuff?"

"Right here," Phoebe replied, holding up a small bag.

"That's all you have?" asked Narcissa. Phoebe nodded in response, not really understanding why they were shocked. "But you hardly have anything! Where are all your clothes?"

"Well, I didn't really come out here with a plan," Phoebe said, sheepishly. "I sort of just threw some stuff in here and left. It was a stupid mistake."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that." Narcissa smiled at her. "Goodbye," she added, and then apparated out of the room.

"We aren't apparating out of here…are we?" Phoebe asked nervously.

"No, we are flooing!" replied Arthur.

_Why do I have a feeling that I am not going to like this?_ Phoebe thought.

* * *

"So, Phoebe, where did you live before?" Ginny asked. They were sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow, eating dinner.

"Before I came here or before London?" she asked.

"Both, I guess."

"I lived in America before I came to London. I lived Southern Indiana. After I came here, I lived at St. Mary's Orphanage." Phoebe replied. She was having a wonderful time with the Weasleys. They were hilarious and nice. At first, Ginny and Ron were a little suspicious, but after awhile they began to open up to Phoebe. Bill and Charlie both greeted her with huge hugs, which she had to admit had startled her at first. From the moment she walked into the door, George, was telling jokes left and right.

"Why did you leave America?" asked Ron. Phoebe accidentally dropped her fork on her plate.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks.

"Why did you leave America?" He asked again. By now, everyone at the table was listening in.

"No reason, really I just wanted to find my real parents." she replied.

"What did your adoptive parents think about you leaving?" he asked. Phoebe's heart stopped. She had to admit, even a year later, it still hurt to think about it.

"Phoebe?" she looked up. Everyone was staring at her now. Looks of both curiosity and worry. She forced herself to smile at everyone. It wasn't hard for her to make the smile look real, after all, she has had plenty of practice.

"Sorry," she apologized. "Just got lost in thought I guess. I haven't lived with my parents for over a year. When I left, I was living with my aunt and uncle."

"Well, what did they think about you leaving?" Ginny asked.

"Um, I'm not sure. Where's the bathroom?" Phoebe asked, standing up.

"Down the hall," Molly replied. Phoebe practically ran out of the room. The table was still completely silent after they heard the door to the bathroom close. Percy was the first to speak.

"Something is not right," he said.

"What do mean?" asked Arthur.

"Did you see the way she reacted when Ron asked about her parents?" asked Charlie. "It was obvious that the last place she wanted to be then was here!"

"She definitely left America for a reason," Bill added.

"I think she is nice, but she is absolutely hiding something," Ginny agreed.

"Maybe someone should use Legilimacy on her," Ron suggested.

"Ronald! That is an invasion of privacy!" Molly reprimanded her son.

It was silent again amongst the Weasley household, which was a rarity in itself.

"Well, whatever happened, she is trying really hard to forget," Percy said. Every turned and looked at him questioningly. He simply shrugged and replied, "You never said we couldn't try it. As soon as I tried to pull an interesting memory up, she immediately pushed it back. I couldn't see it. It was like there was some huge blockade up or something."

* * *

Phoebe practically ran into the bathroom. Once they started asking questions about her family, she couldn't get out of there fast enough. She splashed some water on her face and looked in the mirror. _Great, now they're going to think I'm crazy. Why can't I talk about them? it's been over a year since it happened…_her thoughts trailed off as a memory began drifting into her mind. She was laying on her bed in her room at her aunt and uncle's house. She was reading a book. Her uncle walked into the room. Phoebe gasped and put a hand to her mouth. She immediately pushed the memory away and cleared her mind completely. _Where did that come from?_ Phoebe glanced down at her watch. She had been in the bathroom for almost ten minutes now. _Better get back._

_

* * *

_"So, what do you think?" Ginny asked Phoebe. They were up in Ginny's room; actually now it was Ginny and Phoebe's room, but only every other week.

"Think of…?"

"You know, everything. George, Charlie, Bill, Ron, The Burrow…" her voice trailed off at the end.

"Honestly? George is hilarious. Charlie and Bill are both very nice, and Ron is...interesting. I love this place. It's so much better than-" Phoebe stopped short.

"So much better than what?" asked Ginny.

"That's just it," Phoebe replied. "It's so much better."


	3. Congratulations, Miss Vance

Phoebe was awake, but her eyes weren't open. She had been awake for awhile now; she had heard Ginny get out of bed and had heard her failed attempt to sneak out of the room. Truth be told, Phoebe was afraid to open them. She was afraid that she would open her eyes and find herself staring at the horrible white walls she had woken up to for the past three months. Or worse, she was afraid she would wake up to the horrible, eggplant colored walls she had grown to hate a good year before the former. At best, she would want to open her eyes to her familiar room. Her room with bright yellow walls, soft, white carpet. Her posters of Skillet, The Veronicas, and Metro Station hanging on the walls. How she would wake up to the smell of coffee and toast with strawberry jam. Her dad would sit at the table and read the paper, and her mother would be sitting next to him reading a book by Nora Roberts.

"Phoebe?" Ginny's voice pulled her back from her thoughts. "Are you okay?" Phoebe sat up and looked at Ginny with a confused expression.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, confused.

"You were crying!"

"I was?" Phoebe put a hand to her cheek and felt the sticky aftermath of the tears. "Oh. I guess I was." Ginny looked at her strangely. Phoebe hadn't even noticed she was crying. It didn't surprise her, though. She always thought the tear would come sooner or later. It did seem strange, however, that here they were after over a year. Phoebe had never allowed herself to cry for her parents. She was stronger than that, and they had gone together. They were together until the end. Wherever they were now, Heaven, Hell, or living some other life in another body, they are probably still together. She couldn't resent that. She could miss them, though. She did plenty of that.

"Mum and Dad said to come get you for breakfast. They wanted you to meet Ron's friends, Hermione and Harry. They just got here this morning." Ginny said. Phoebe nodded in response. Ginny turned around and left the room. Phoebe sat in silence for a few minutes before she got up and went over to her bag. She only had one other outfit. It was her favorite one, her lucky one. She had worn it the day she had to give a speech in junior high. She'd gotten an A+. Every major project she had to do, she wore the day it was due, and she always passed with flying colors. She had also worn it the day Percy and Katie found her. It was her lucky outfit. Faded blue jeans and black shirt with Elmo, the red puppet from that children's show _Sesame Street_, on it. After she got dressed, she slipped on her green converse. The only shoes she ever wore were green converse. She was on her fifth pair now.

Phoebe silently walked down the stairs. Everyone was in the kitchen, and their backs were all turned towards her.

"Good morning, Phoebe!" Molly exclaimed, still turned around.

"How'd you know I was here?" Phoebe asked, wide-eyed.

"I have my ways." she said smiling. "Harry, Hermione, this is Phoebe. Phoebe, Harry and Hermione." Everyone turned around to face Phoebe. She half-heartedly waved at everyone.

"Now, Phoebe, I know this must be a shock for you to meet someone famous like this, but-"

"Who is famous?" Phoebe asked Ron, not letting him finish. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"Harry Potter! He is the Boy Who Lived! You know, lightning bolt scare on his forehead?" Ron exclaimed. "Are bloody mad?"

"Even in the American wizards should know about _that_!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What would I know about American wizards?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you're from America, correct?"

"Yes…but I still don't see-"

"And you are a wizard?" she said, sounding more like a statement than a question.

"Apparently. I mean, I did only find out that little fact about two days ago." Phoebe tried to hide the edge in her voice, but this girl was making her angry. Phoebe never was a morning person. There really wasn't much conversation between Phoebe and everyone else after that. Mostly because Phoebe was only offering up single-worded answers.

"So, where is Arthur?" Phoebe asked.

"_Dad_ is at work. So is Percy. George too, but for him it isn't work, really," Ron replied.

"He'll be back in time for supper," Molly added. "I've already talked to Hermione about your tutoring. You'll start tomorrow afternoon."

"It shouldn't be too hard for you; Hermione is the best in our year," Harry stated proudly.

"As long as you got Percy's brains. Or Malfoy's for that matter. So long as you don't take after Ron!" Ginny joked. Ron's face turned a dark shade of red.

"Malfoy doesn't know anything!" Ron exclaimed. "Stupid, ferret-faced git…" he muttered under his breath.

"Phoebe, today I have to take you to the Ministry to get sorted," Molly told her over her shoulder.

"Um…oh, okay…" Phoebe had learned that it is easier to just go with it. She would understand later. She hoped.

* * *

"Hello, Phoebe, my name is Professor McGonagall. I am the headmistress at Hogwarts. I believe we are here to sort you into a house, yes?"

"Um, yes," Phoebe replied. To be completely honest, the old women scared her a bit.

"Very well then. This," she said, holding up an oddly shaped witch hat, "is the Sorting Hat. When I place it on your head, it will decide what house you will be in. Are you ready?"

"Actually, what are the houses? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"There are four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw," McGonagall replied.

"What houses are my…well you know…in?" she asked, not sure what to call her new-found family.

"Your half-brother and sister, Ronald and Ginny, were both placed in Gryffindor. Your other half-brother, Draco, was placed in Slytherin."

"So, I will end up in one of those two?" Phoebe asked.

"It is possible; houses usually run in the family." Phoebe pondered this for a moment.

"Okay, I'm ready." Phoebe sat down on the stool that was next to her.

_Hmmm…_Phoebe jumped at the sudden noise.

"What was that?" she asked.

_I am the Sorting Hat. Weren't you listening to a word Professor McGonagall said? Good. Let's see…you are very courageous. You also strive to achieve your goals and success. You stand up for what you believe in. Hmm...aren't you a mess of Gryffindor and Slytherin? But, ahh, you are more than that. You enjoy observing and analyzing. You thirst for knowledge both in class and in life. You are logical and levelheaded, and you always take your own advice. Better be…Ravenclaw!_

"Congratulations, Miss Vance. You are in Ravenclaw house." McGonagall smiled at her.


	4. Malfoy Manner

**Three Days Later…**

"See you later, Phoebe!" Ginny said, hugging Phoebe.

"Yeah, don't let Malfoy sink his claws into you!" Ron called from somewhere in the house. The week was up and, just as that guy Brackenridge minister dude or whatever said, Phoebe was on her way to meet the other half of her gene pool.

"Don't listen to him. Ron is just jealous. I'm sure that he is very nice…in his own way…" Ginny bit her lip. Phoebe smiled.

"I'm sure he is totally awesome!" When Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Hermione all looked at her like she was crazy, she added, "I am an optimist. Now, how am I getting there?" Phoebe asked.

"Floo." Molly replied. "Remember, say the name of where you would like to go and then throw the powder into the fire. Keep thinking of your destination. Now then, are you all set?" Phoebe nodded and Molly handed her some powder. Phoebe just stood there, powder in hand, staring at them.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Where am I going?" Phoebe asked. Molly laughed a little.

"Oh, dear me, I must have forgotten to tell you, didn't I? No matter, you are traveling to Malfoy Manner." Phoebe nodded. She squeezed her eyes closed.

"Malfoy Manner." she said, throwing the powder into the fire. When she finally felt like she was standing on solid ground, she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was three pairs of gray eyes staring at her.

"Hey!" she greeted them awkwardly. "I'm Phoebe-"

"We know who you are," the eldest blonde male said coldly. Narcissa came over and gave Phoebe a small hug.

"Phoebe, this is your brother, Draco." The boy whose hair was-dare she say- even more blonde than either of his parents. She smiled up at the extremely tall boy standing in front of her. Slowly but surely, he began smiling back at her. **[A/N Draco will probably seem really out of character, I think; actually all of the original characters probably will. I did not create those characters, so I can't write them and respectively say that that is how they always act. I will try to write them to the best of my abilities, but I sort of want to show a different side of Draco. Thanks for understanding!]**

"So, you need to catch up on five years' worth of schooling, do you?" Draco asked.

"That's what they tell me," she said. Honestly, she didn't understand why everyone told her to watch out. The Draco kid was nice enough. But his father…oh man was he a different story! Talk about _creepy_! First of all, he looked at her like she was piece of garbage. Secondly, just his presence alone gave her the creeps! Seriously, does he have a permanent frown on his face or something?

"Hello, Miss Vance," he said coldly.

"Hello Mr. Malfoy," she replied evenly.

"Please, call me Lucius," he said, smiling. Well, more like smirking. Phoebe nodded.

"Draco," Narcissa started, breaking the awkward and uncomfortable silence, "please show Phoebe to her room."

"Yes, Mother," he replied. Phoebe followed him up a huge staircase. Really, it was like three or four stories tall!

"Your room is right through that door," he said, pointing to the door at the very end of the hall. "My room is right there." He pointed to a door a couple doors down from where they were standing.

"And right over there," he said, pointed to the door that was in between his door and her door, "is my mate Blaise's room. He is over so much we just call it his. The rest are empty. Where are your bags?"

"Um, my bag is right here." she said holding it up. He nodded.

"Well, go on, then!" Phoebe walked down the hallway towards her door. When she opened the door to her room, she was surprised by blue and bronze everywhere. She gasped.

"What is with all of the blue and bronze?" she asked.

"Ravenclaw house colors. It's tradition in this house to have your room reflect your house. Mine is green and silver."

"Oh…okay…" Phoebe looked around the room again. After a moment of thought, Phoebe decided she liked it. From what she had heard, she was going to be seeing a lot of these colors anyhow. The walls were painted a dark blue color, and the floor was wooden. The bed frame was made of what looked like brass, and the bed spread was the same blue as the walls. She walked over to the wooden desk next to a window. Sitting on it were five picture frames. Five empty picture frames.

"What are these for?" she asked, turning around to look at Draco. Only problem was, Draco was not the one standing in the door frame. His tall, lanky form had been replaced by Narcissa's slender shadow.

"These," Narcissa began, walking towards Phoebe and the desk, "are for you. You can stick pictures of whoever you want in them. I'm not sure if you have any pictures of friends from America but I thought you might like them." Phoebe reached down and touched one of them. It was smooth and cool to the touch. The frame was small and circular. It was the same shade of blue found practically everywhere in her room.

"They're awesome," Phoebe said. "Really!" she added, smiling up at Narcissa. "So, I have a question…" Phoebe turned around to face Narcissa. She leaned back against the desk.

"Yes?" Narcissa looked at her, a slightly confused look on her face.

"What is my name? Like, I mean, what were you going to name me?" Narcissa looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Well," she began, "I don't quite remember, it was so long ago and we never did really name…the child that we…buried…I am almost positive that I was planning on naming you Lucilla Druella." When she saw Phoebe's face turn from curiosity to shock to dislike in a matter of moments, she added "Druella was my mother's name." Phoebe nodded as if that explained everything and turned around. Narcissa smoothed her skirt and straightened her composure.

"Lucy will find you when it is time for supper," she said and left the room. Phoebe sighed and sat down on her bed. Her mind began drifting back to America. Her aunt and uncle were probably worried sick…she should not have left. No, her uncle would most definitely _not _be happy with her…

"What's got you so down?" a voice asked.

"Huh?" Phoebe looked towards the doorway to see Draco, once again, leaning against the door frame. Instead, he walked in and took a seat on her desk chair.

"Quite a setup you've got here," he said. "Although, your color scheme is a bit odd. Might I recommend some nice splashes green and silver?"

"Why green and silver?" Phoebe asked curiously.

"Slytherin colors," he replied, smirking.

"You know, you really shouldn't smirk so much," Phoebe told him.

"And why in Merlin not?" he asked lazily.

"Because, sooner or later someone is going to get tired of seeing that thing on your face. And when they do…" she paused for dramatic effect. Draco was trying to look annoying, but Phoebe could easily see the curiosity clouding his eyes. She gave a little laugh. "Well, I guess you'll find out if you keep it there, now won't you?" Draco's eyes filled with surprise, but only for a moment. It was quickly replaced with a scowl.

"You really are batty, I hope you realize."

"Batty?"

"You know, mad?"

"Like crazy, you mean?"

"Oh dear, you really are American, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes, but I'm not half as _batty_ as some of the people I have met over the past few months. London really does have some really interesting people, you know." Draco made a face.

"You would have to be utterly insane to actually _want _to go to Muggle London." Phoebe rolled her eyes.

**After Dinner...**

_Great, I am lost…_Phoebe thought. She had been wandering around the manor for a couple of hours. It had looked so easy, finding her way around, when she had Draco to lead the way. She couldn't remember how many flights of stairs she had to climb to get to her floor. She had thought that she would recognize the floor when she saw it, but they all looked the same.

"Ugh, why do there have to be so many damn floors! And why, in the name of God, do they all look the same? Is this some sort of dumb optical illusion?" Phoebe asked no one aloud.

"Actually," Phoebe jumped when she heard a voice behind her, "I believe an enlarging spell was used." Phoebe spun around and became face to face—almost literally—with a tall boy with mocha colored skin. She tried to back up, but she was stopped by the wall. _Funny,_ Phoebe didn't remember walking so close to the wall. But then again, Phoebe didn't even remember the way she had come. The boy laughed at her.

"Lost, are you?" Phoebe looked away. He had appeared all of—what? Five seconds ago?—and he was already getting on her nerves. "I'll take that as a yes."

"So are you going to help me get back or not?" Phoebe asked impatiently.

"Now aren't we a little rude today. Let's start over, shall we?" he held out his hand. "Blaise Zabini. And you must be Phoebe." Phoebe didn't take his hand; she just glared at him. His cocky attitude reminded her of a boy from the orphanage. Blaise dropped his hand to his side.

"Well, come on, then." He grabbed Phoebe's arm. With a pop, they appeared on the correct floor and in Phoebe's bedroom. Phoebe felt sick to her stomach. She had her eyes squeezed shut and her hand was gripping Blaise's arm. He looked down at her in surprise.

"Is the big, tough Ravenclaw scared?" he asked, amused. Phoebe took a deep breath.

"No," she replied, her voice shaky. "I just _hate_ apparating." Blaise only laughed.

"You should have told me," he told her, still laughing.

"Blaise, there you are. Where have you been mate?" Phoebe turned around to see Draco standing in the doorway.

"I was just helping your new sister find her way back," Blaise replied. Draco grinned at Phoebe.

"Gotten yourself lost already, have you?" he lifted his chin towards Blaise. "Come on, mate, up for a game of Quidditch?"

"Always," he said. Blaise leaned in to Phoebe. "See you soon, Phoebe." He walked over to Draco and they left the room. Phoebe stayed where she was standing after they left. All she could think about was where she was now, her new families, and the mysterious boy who found her.


	5. First Year Stuff

"_Mom?" Phoebe yelled._

_Silence. _

"_Dad?" _

_Still nothing. Where was everyone?_

_Phoebe walked into the apparently empty house. As every other day, she set her bag down in the foyer and headed into the kitchen to grab something to eat. She checked to see if there were any missed calls as she passed by the answering machine, and she checked the counter and refrigerator door for any notes saying when they would be back. Nothing. _Strange, _she thought, _they always leave a note when they leave…

_Phoebe grabbed a apple and made her way towards the garage to grab a water bottle from the freezer. She walked by her father's study and looked in. The only sound after that was the sound of her apple hitting the floor and then—_

"Phoebe!"

Phoebe sat up so fast her head started pounded in pain. That is just the way she wanted to wake up, with a head ache. Of course. Phoebe looked around the unfamiliar room she had woken up in. For a moment, she forgot where she was, but it all came rushing back to her. She was in Malfoy Manor. This was her room. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"What's got you so giddy this morning?"

Phoebe turned her head to see that Blaise boy from yesterday sitting in the chair near her bed.

"What are you doing in my room?" Phoebe asked in an annoyed tone.

"I told you I would see you later. You really should believe me next time," he replied nonchalantly.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Hasn't Granger taught you anything?" he asked incredulously.

"Um…"

"Alohamora. It unlocks un-charmed locked doors and such. It's first year stuff," he said.

"First year stuff? Like that weird swish-and-flick ordeal?" she asked. Blaise sighed.

"Yes, Phoebe, like the swish-and-flick ordeal," he said. Phoebe nodded.

"So, what is that Quiddich thing you and Draco were talking about yesterday?" Phoebe asked.

"You don't know what Quiddich is?" he asked her with that same look of disbelief. Phoebe shook her head. "Good Merlin! Drake and I are going to have to catch you up! I can't believe they didn't tell you what Quiddich is! That must be something along the lines of a sin! I bet they didn't tell you there was broom riding involved in your first year either!" he exclaimed.

"You mean witches and wizards really _can_ ride brooms?" a wide-eyed Phoebe asked. Blaise was shocked into silence. After a moment he shouted for Draco to "get his pale arse in here" and a groggy Draco shuffled into Phoebe's room.

"What in the bloody hell do you want Blaise? And why are you in my sister's room?" he asked.

"Never mind that now," Blaise said quickly. "Your sister hasn't a clue as to what Quiddich is, let alone that we can actually fly on broom sticks!" he said as if it were a crime.

"You mean Potty, Weasel, and Muddy didn't fill her in?" he asked.

"No!"

"You would think that Potty and Weasel would've been on non-stop about it," he said, already sounding bored.

"You know what this means, mate?"

"What does it mean Blaise?" Draco asked, sighing.

"We're going to have to teach your little sister to fly," Blaise declared.

"Oh joy," Draco said flatly. "I cannot believe you woke me up for that Blaise. I just cannot believe that you did that," Draco said as he left the room. And then he came back in. "Wait, what _are _you doing in here Zabini?" he asked, peering at Blaise suspiciously.

"I was just having a word with Phoebe here. Nothing big. You can run back to bed now," Blaise replied vaguely.

"Really, now? Anything of importance I should know about, _mate_?" Draco asked coolly, emphasizing the word 'mate.'

"No, nothing I can think of _mate_," Blaise replied back, just as coolly.

"Oh, this is just great," Phoebe said sarcastically, interrupting the silence.

"What?" the two boys said at the same time, turning their focus onto her.

"Oh, please, I know what this is. Most of my friends back in America were guys and I've had my fair share of boyfriends to know what's going on. You two are currently having a silent face off, which is why you guys keep saying 'mate' with an unnecessary emphasis and looking at each other like you want to murder the other. I've seen it all before. I'd just thought that you two were above these childish antics," Phoebe sighed. She glanced at them before continuing hesitantly. "You know," she began, "Harry and Ronald weren't this childish. I must say, I am disappointed in you two," she said in a sugary sweet voice. Draco and Blaise gaped at her. "Now if you'll point me towards the bathroom, I'd appreciate it." Draco pointed to the door to her left while Blaise just stood there looking dumbfounded. Phoebe got up and flounced towards the bathroom.

"Did that really just happen?" Blaise asked, still staring at the bathroom door.

"I can't believe she said Potty and Weasel are more mature than us!" Draco fumed.

"There is that too…" Blaise agreed. I mean, after all, _everybody _knows that Slytherins are more mature! Well…at least the Slytherins know.

"By the way, what _were _you doing in here?" Draco asked, turning to look at Blaise.

"Did you know that your sister talks in her sleep?" Blaise asked.

"How could I? This was her first night here…and I'm not the one stalking her! Don't change the subject either," Draco said.

"I am not stalking her! Or changing the subject. But really, she talks in her sleep."

"Blaise, I know you. You're my best mate. But I am warning you, if you so much as even think about playing my sister—"

"I wouldn't hurt her!" Blaise protested.

"Blaise, I've seen the way you are with members of the opposite sex, and I assure you, if you follow your pattern, you _will_ hurt her, and if you hurt her, then I will hurt you," Draco said, looking at his friend with serious look on his face.

"You don't have to worry about that, mate. She isn't even my type," Blaise drawled. Anyone else would have been convinced, but not Draco. Draco merely narrowed his eyes. Although Blaise knew his best mate didn't believe him, he kept his composure. He was a Slytherin as well. He could hold appearances as much as the next snake.

"Whatever. I know you're lying. She is leaving in a couple days, anyhow," Draco said as he turned to leave.

"What do you mean she's leaving?" Blaise asked.

"She is only here every other week. The other weeks she is with Potty and Weasel and Granger. And the other Weasels, but I tend not to count them," Draco said, and then continued his way out. Blaise stood there staring after him. After a minute, Phoebe opened the door and Blaise was still standing there.

"You're still here?" she asked.

"I…I guess so," he replied, turning around to look at her. She had obviously just gotten out of the shower, but Blaise hadn't heard the water running. Granger must have already taught her a silencing spell. Or maybe he just wasn't listening.

"So…did you want something?" she asked. Blaise thought for a moment.

"Not yet," he replied. With that, he left the room.

"Some boys I will never understand," Phoebe said to herself.

* * *

"Okay, upon Blaise's request, I'm going to teach you how to fly a broom," Draco said lazily. This was the first attempt Draco had made all week to teach Phoebe anything. She had already picked up quite a bit of information, though. Malfoy Manner had the biggest library Phoebe had ever seen. It had all sorts of books on practically any aspect of the wizarding world that you could possibly think of. It also had 105 books on Hogwarts alone. Needless to say, Phoebe had spent countless hours pouring over the books and practicing and perfecting the spells for her first two years. The one thing it didn't explain in depth was the art of broom flying. Fortunately for Phoebe, she loved heights, so it wouldn't be that much of a problem. She hoped.

"Stand next to the broom," he commanded. Phoebe went over and stood next to the broom. She began to bend down to pick it up. "STOP!" he ordered. Phoebe looked up in astonishment.

"What?" she asked.

"Do not pick it up. Stand next to it and hold your hand over it." Phoebe did as she was told. "Now say 'up.'"

"Up!" Phoebe repeated. The broom came zooming up so fast; it stung Phoebe's hand a little. She winced at the pain. Draco smirked.

"Now get on," he said.

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"I spoke clearly. Figure it out."

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching me?" she asked.

"It's not learning if I do it for you," he replied.

"Hermione—"

"Granger and I are two different people. You'll do well to remember that," Draco cut her off. Phoebe rolled her eyes and got on the broom. Draco could have such a power trip when someone gave him the chance, she realized.

"How do I make it go?" she asked. Draco smirked.

"If you really want to know, you'll figure it out." And with that, Draco walked back towards the manner. Phoebe gaped after him.

"He did _not_ just do that!" Phoebe said.

"That's the thing about Draco. He does the bare minimum and then watches you suffer. It's his way," Blaise said as he came up beside her.

"I'm beginning to realize," Phoebe said dryly, still watching Draco walk away. "He said you told him to teach me to fly."

"I might be able to recall such a request," he responded vaguely.

"Well, since it was your idea, guess what? You're going to teach me," she said, handing Blaise one of the brooms that Draco had left behind.

"You're joking, right?" Blaise asked her in disbelief.

"Nope. This is all on you, buddy," she said. She patted his chest twice and began walking towards what Draco referred to as the 'Quiddich field,' whatever that meant.

"Fine, but before you learn how to fly, I think you should fly," he said, smirking like only a Slytherin could.

"What do you mean? Dude, that doesn't even make any sense!" Blaise picked up a broom and got on.

"Get on," he said.

"What," Phoebe said stupidly. Blaise nodded to the back of his broom. Phoebe's eyes widened in fear, but she got on anyway. Blaise kicked off the ground and Phoebe squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed on to Blaise. A small smile played on Blaise's face. He was glad that Phoebe could not see his face, because he definately would've gotten a punch.

"You can open your eyes, you know," he yelled back.

"Not on your life!" she yelled back.

"Would you scream if I took a dive?" he asked.

"Louder than you've ever heard," was her reply.

"I doubt that," he yelled, thinking of Pansy. He had really thought Draco had better taste than Parkinson. The girl was worse than a banshee when you ticked her off. And anyone could see that Draco didn't even really like her. Pansy was obviously enamored, but what Slytherin girl isn't? Blaise knew that Draco's parents and Parkinson's were talking about a marriage between the two families. Pansy was obviously ecstatic, but in truth, he and Draco had been searching for a loop hole for months. He didn't want to end up stuck with Parkinson for the rest of his life. To Blaise's surprise, once Draco had even sadi he would take Gr_anger_ over Parkinson. Now, Blaise's family had remained neutral during the First War, and had remained so to this day. Blaise didn't really have anything against Granger. He didn't care for her, he might have even liked her a little more if she wasn't such a know-it-all, but Draco's family had sided with the Dark Lord, and his father was so pent up on blood status that Draco could likely have been disowned for that comment.

"Um…Blaise?" Blaise snapped from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he yelled back.

"Um…I'm sure that whatever you're thinking about is really important and all…but I would sorta appreciate it if you would pay attention to where you are going and NOT HIT THAT TREE!" she yelled the last part. Blaise snapped his head up to see a huge tree quickly approaching them. He took a sharp turn to the right and Phoebe screamed. Just as she promised, her scream was unquestionably louder than Parkinson's. And that is saying a lot. It is also not a trait to be proud of, which she sounded as if she was.

"Merlin, Phoebe! You're going to send me deaf!" he yelled back to her. She stopped screaming.

"Sorry. Maybe next time you should listen to me," she replied. Blaise laughed. She didn't sound the least bit sorry. "Can we go down now?" she asked. Blaise laughed and started flying back towards the manner. When they landed, Phoebe practically jumped off the broom. Blaise laughed. Phoebe glared at him. She punched his arm.

"Ow!" he exclaimed in between laughs.

"Stop laughing at me! I wouldn't have been so quick to get off it you hadn't scared the living daylights out of me!"

"The…what?" he asked, now confused. What did that even mean?

"It's an expression!" she yelled, visibly agitated. Then, they heard laughing. Blaise and Phoebe looked over to see Draco standing a few feet away, obviously amused by their little argument. "What are you laughing at?" Phoebe asked.

"I had a feeling this was going to happen," Draco replied.

"You know what? This is all _your_ fault!" Phoebe said, turning on Draco.

"Me? How is it my fault?" he asked.

"He's your friend! Your responsibility! Of all the juvenile, aggravating, _stupid_ things…" Phoebe muttered as she stormed off. Blaise and Draco watched her in amusement.

"She is one interesting character," Blaise said.

"Of course she is. She is a Malfoy."

"And a Weasley," Blaise reminded him.

"Let's just ignore that part."


	6. Silence

"What are you doing?" Draco asked. Phoebe looked up to see him standing in the door way to her room. She got up and walked over to her closet.

"I'm packing," she replied.

"Why?"

"Because it's been two weeks. Now I go back to the Weasley's."

"Why?" Draco asked dumbly. He did not understand at all why she actually _wanted _to go back to be with those incessant poor examples of wizards.

"They're my family," Phoebe replied shrugging her shoulders.

"We're your family," Draco replied stubbornly.

"So are they," Phoebe replied, turning to look at her half-brother. "And I think you would do well to remember that," she mimicked.

"See? That was a definite Malfoy act."

"What can I say? I'll be back in a couple weeks, anyway."

"You probably shouldn't come back," Draco said thoughtfully. Phoebe was silent. After a few moments she let out a nervous laugh.

"What, one minute you are trying to get me to stay, and the next you want me to leave? That is messed up."

"Seriously, you should stay at the Weasley's. Mum and I can come visit you for awhile. It's just that my father has invited…company...to stay with us for awhile. And I don't think you should be a part of it, and I am sure Mum would agree."

"Really, and who is this _company_ your dad has invited?" Phoebe asked as she finished putting stuff in her bag. A pained look crossed Draco's face. "You're not going to tell me, are you?" Draco shook his head. "Oh…well…is this guest not a very nice person?" Again, no answer. "Do you mind if I take that as a yes?" Draco shrugged. "Is it…Blaise?" she guessed. Draco shook his head. "Well I don't know any more people that you know. So spill," she commanded.

"Okay, let's keep it at he is an unsavory character," Draco responded with a bored look on his face. Then he got up and began walking out of the room. Once he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Have fun with Weasel and Weaslette." With that, he smiled a rare smile and left the room. Phoebe rolled her eyes and closed her trunk. A house elf apparated in and shrunk her trunk before disappearing with it. Phoebe glanced at the room one more time before opening the door to find Blaise standing in front of it with his first about to knock on the door. His hand dropped to his side and he looked at her with a lopsided grin.

"Well I guess knocking won't be necessary," he joked. Phoebe gave him a small smile and started to push past him. She began walking down the stairs to the sitting room so that she could floo to the Weasley's. Blaise fell into step beside her.

"So, you're off to the Weasley's, I presume?" he asked. Phoebe nodded indifferently. "Well, see you around, then," he said, smiling at her and walking away. Phoebe looked up to see that they had arrived at the fireplace. She then took one last look at her surroundings and then flooed to the Weasley's freakishly tall, multi-floored abode.

* * *

"Phoebe!" Molly yelled from the kitchen. "You've been owled, dear." Phoebe walked down the never-ending flights of stairs, tired from the rigorous lessons Hermione had been instilling upon her over the past two weeks. When it came to teaching, Draco and Hermione were almost each other's equal, the only separation being Draco explained it in simple terms and only spent enough time on it so that she understood what was going on. Hermione went in depth and explained it in big words Phoebe did not always understand very well. They were both good teachers, and Phoebe was already almost half-way through second year stuff between the two of them. She had taken to borrowing books from Hermione or spending days in the library at Malfoy Manner reading up on lessons and teaching herself on certain subjects. It really was quite interesting material if you really read into it.

Phoebe walked over to the owl and gave it a piece of bread after removing the letter from its talons. She unfolded the letter to see the elegant handwriting of Narcissa.

_My Dear Phoebe-_

_It has come to my attention that we will be hosting a guest indefinitely. I understand that your brother has already spoken to you, but I must inform you that you will be staying with the Weasleys until further notice. I have already informed them of this. I requested to them that they waited to bring it up until I wrote to you. I must ask that you not write back._

_With Love Always,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

Phoebe crumpled up the paper, pointed her wand, and whispered a spell she had learned from Draco, "_Incendio_!" Before Molly could say anything, Phoebe practically ran back up the stairs to her room. When she walked in, she found Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sitting in a circle on the floor. They all looked up at her.

"Oh, I…I'm sorry. I guess I'll go to…yeah…" Phoebe said hurriedly before quickly closing the door and going back down the stairs and outside. When she looked around all she could see was grass. It looked like it went on for miles. There was no way out. She could not talk to any of her friends from America, and she could not talk to Draco. Hermione and Ginny conversations tended to be a bit awkward and they were with Ron and Harry anyway. That left a total of zero people she could talk to.

Phoebe continued walking until she arrived at an area that was sectioned off into an oval. At each end, there stood three poles with hoops on top. Phoebe wracked her brain trying to remember what it was for. Draco had one at the Manor, too. He called it a…a Quiddich pitch! _Yeah, that's it! They flew brooms around it or something like that_. After that thought, Phoebe had a flashback to when Blaise tried to teach her to fly. _Blaise!_ She could write to Blaise! As much as he could get on her nerves, he could probably also keep her sane.

Phoebe jumped up from where she had been sitting and sprinted inside. When she burst through the back door, she almost hit Harry straight in the face.

"Whoa, where are you off to in a hurry?" he asked.

"No where…I was just…coming inside," Phoebe said.

"Well I can see that. Actually, I can feel it too," he said, rubbing his arm closest to the door. Phoebe's face turned red and he laughed at her obvious embarrassment. "I'm kidding! I've been through much worse, trust me."

"What do you mean?" she asked. her curiosity at the supposed famous person piqued.

"Oh, I keep forgetting that you don't know all of this. Let's see, I've fought a basilisk, Dementors, heck, I've even fought a dragon! And Voldemort! Lots of things," he replied thoughtfully.

"Dementors? Voldemort? And dragons don't exist. "

"Don't let Charlie hear you say that last bit about dragons," Harry said, laughing.

"Charlie?" Phoebe asked.

"Charlie is your…well one of you older brothers."

"I have a lot of those, don't I? I guess I'm having a hard time keeping them straight," Phoebe said, smiling sheepishly. Harry laughed.

"Anyway, Dementors are these evil, soul-sucking creatures that remove all sense of hope. And Voldemort is a very evil wizard who practices dark magic. He wants to rid the magical world of everything and everyone who isn't a pureblood. Pure bloods are wizards whose parents were both at least half-bloods." Harry and Phoebe had somehow migrated to a bench right outside of the back door. They sat there for who knows how long talking about Harry's adventures and about the wizarding world in general. Phoebe was practically hanging on to his every word. She was learning more about the world that was so new to her, learning more about it than she had been from Draco and Hermione. They were just teaching her spells and incantations, while Harry was teaching her about places and the basic gist of who is who in Hogwarts. Harry told her about the Ministry and the current social and political problems that were going around, which sounds really boring, but it was actually interesting.

After Harry had been missing from the room upstairs for almost 3 hours, Ginny was sent after him. She glanced out the back window and, to her surprise, she saw him sitting with Phoebe. Harry and Phoebe were talking and laughing. They were both smiling at each other. If some stranger had seen them, they would probably assume they were either a couple or they had known each other all their lives and were really close friends. Ginny felt an odd sensation go through her that she assumed was jealousy. She had known Harry for years now, and they never laughed together like that. Actually, Harry hardly laughed like that at all anymore.

"Well would you look at that," Molly said, coming up behind her. " I haven't seen Harry like that in quite some time. Those two would make such a lovely couple, don't you agree?" Ginny smiled weakly and gave a slight nod. That odd sensation she experienced quickly morphed into a sick feeling in her stomach. She looked back to see the dark-haired boy moving his hands around like he was a madman and the blonde girl laughing like there was no tomorrow. Ginny opened there door and quickly walked over to them.

"Harry! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, hey Gin," Harry greeted her.

"Hello Ginny," Phoebe said with a hint of laughter still evident in her voice. Ginny nodded towards her in acknowledgement. Then, she turned back to Harry and told him that Ron and Hermione had been wondering where he had run off to.

"But I can see you've been busy," she added, looking disdainfully at Phoebe.

"Oh, well I guess I'd better go see what they want," he said, standing up. "Would you like to come too, Phoebe?" he asked. Phoebe took one look at Ginny and shook her head 'no'.

"There is someone I need to write to. Do you have a pencil and paper I could borrow?" Phoebe asked. Ginny looked at her with a confused look.

"I think Hermione might have some parchment and a quill you can use. Who are you writing to?" Harry asked.

"A friend," Phoebe replied. "Maybe I'll tell you who someday." Phoebe smiled at Harry and then hurried inside and up to the room where Hermione was staying. Just as Phoebe expected, Hermione asked no questions and seemed uninterested that Phoebe was writing to someone. Phoebe walked into the thankfully empty kitchen and sat down at the table to begin her letter.

_Blaise-_

_As I'm sure you've heard, I am unable to contact Draco or my mother in anyway. Now, I need a way to keep myself from going crazy in here. The only sane person here is Harry, but every time I so much as look at him, Ginny gives me the meanest look. So I'm writing to you. Please don't make me regret it. So…how are you? Flown into any trees lately? Sorry, I'm no good at writing letters. Actually, this is only the second letter I've ever written. You should feel special. Just kidding. This is a really pointless letter. And now I have a question. How do you think Hogwarts is like? I've heard from Harry, but I want a different perspective._

_Sincerely,_

_Phoebe Vance_

_P.S. You don't have to write back if you don't want to. I would understand completely. After all, who really wants to write to their friend's younger sister?_

Once she was finished, she walked over to the owls sitting on the window sill. As she was trying to remember how to send something, one of the owls grabbed the letter out of her hands. It let out a "hooo." Phoebe petted its head.

"I remember now." She gave the owl a treat and told it to take the letter to Blaise Zabini.

Blaise was sitting on in his favorite chair reading when he heard a tapping at his window. He looked up to see an unfamiliar owl perched on his window sill. He opened the window and the owl dropped a letter into his hand and flew off. He opened the letter. After he had read through it, he smiled and began to write a reply.

Dinner at the Weasley's had already begun when an owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of Phoebe. Phoebe, who was glad to have something to occupy herself with, opened the letter as neatly as she could.

_Phoebe-_

_Yes, I am well informed of your current situation. Don't worry yourself about it. And I would hardly call Potter sane, but if it keeps you from going mad, so be it. Did no one mention to you Weaslette's obvious obsession with Potter?_

_I have been well, but my home is extremely boring, however, and I am unable to visit any of my mates. Pity me. My younger sister has taken to making me play dress up with her. Also, to be quite honest, your letter-writing skills are a bit shoddy. Nothing that cannot be fixed with practice._

_You want me to describe Hogwarts? Description does not do it justice. It looks huge, and on the inside it is even more elaborate. From the outside, I'll admit it looks a tad frightening, but on the inside it is truly amazing. You will love it. I really do not know how to verbalize it anymore. You'll just have to see it for yourself._

_Always,_

_B. Zabini_

_P.S. I will never not want to write you back._

By the time she finished the letter, Phoebe was smiling. She did not notice that everyone at the table had stopped talking and was looking at her. Phoebe folded up the letter and put it in her pocket.

"Oi! Phoebe! What's got you smiling?" George asked. Phoebe looked up, startled.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What's in that letter of yours that has got you grinning like a toddler in a candy store?" George asked her, grinning evilly. Phoebe could just feel her face turn red.

"Um…" Phoebe said, not quite sure what to say. "Just…a friend?"

"Why, Forge! I think out ickle Phoebe is more than fond of this _friend_, wouldn't you agree?" Fred exclaimed.

"Why, yes Gred! I believe you are correct!" George agreed.

"I think…you guys are spending way too much time in your joke shop," Phoebe replied, her face now the color of the Weasley's hair. Everyone laughed at her obvious discomfort.

"Aw, come on, spill! Who is it? Anyone we might know?" Ginny asked.

"Well…my _friend,"_ Phoebe out an emphasis on the word 'friend' and glaring at Fred and George, "attends Hogwarts. I think he is in your year…" Phoebe said awkwardly.

"Well, what's his name?" Molly asked, smiling.

"Yeah, what's the bloke's name? I think me and Bill should go have a talk with him," Charlie joked. Phoebe's eyes widened and everyone once again laughed. Bill and Charlie had arrived this morning, and so far they were Phoebe's favorite Weasleys.

"Would you believe he doesn't have a name?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

"Oh come on, Phoebe, we promise we won't tease you anymore! What's your friend's name?" Harry asked.

"Okay…his name is Blaise."

"Blaise…?" Bill probed.

"Blaise Zabini…"

Silence.

**So SORRY! For not updating in a long time. I've had this chapter written forever, but I have not had to the time to type it up! Please don't be mad at me! This is actually the longest chapter I have ever written for fanfiction. 6 whole pages! I will try to update soon. What do you think will happen?**

**I'll try to post again in 2 weeks. I'll post the next chapter if I get 8 reviews! Remember, even if you don't have a fanfiction account, you can leave an anonymous review [I think…give it a try!]. Criticism is welcome, but I would appreciate it if you didn't just say you hate it…at least tell me WHY haha! **

**I promise, 2 weeks! Happy New Year!**

**~Meredith Glass**


	7. Author's Note Sort of Important

Hello all : )

As you can see, this is not a new chapter. Until I realized that there were more reviews on this since the last time I updated, I was just kind of leaving it on hiatus with no real plans. I actually did not realize that people actually liked this story so I gave up on it. But seeing as people actually DO like it, I suddenly feel bad for not updating, and now I am going to do my best to post more chapters soon.

I'm not sure how often I will be able to update though. It is my senior year of high school and between my extracurrics and school and filling out scholarship forms and prepping for my job this summer I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write. But the brightside is I have last block study hall and never any homework this semester (taking the piano class really lightened my load ^.^) so I have 55 min I can block out to write every day! So hopefully I can have a new chapter up by Thursday at the latest.


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